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Students at Oliver Citywide Academy (OCA) in Pittsburgh will be attending one of four satellite locations this year instead of the school’s North Side building. The shift was announced by Pittsburgh Public Schools following state approval of its district-wide special education plan for the 2023-2024 school year. The decision to move the students to satellite locations was made due to the connection between the current facility and the recent tragic incidents of gun violence.

Superintendent Wayne Walters stated that the current facility at Oliver is closely linked to the grief experienced by the school community after the loss of two students to gun violence. In order to address this, the school district has decided to serve Oliver students in four satellite sites, allowing them to receive full-time emotional support in buildings that also host conventional education classrooms.

The satellite locations will be shared with other schools and programs but will have separate classrooms, teachers, administrators, and support staff for Oliver students. The students in grades 3-12 will be relocated to different schools based on capacity limits.

A maximum of 40 students in grades 6-12 will attend the OCA satellite located at Greenway Middle School in Crafton Heights. Another maximum of 12 students will attend the OCA satellite within Perry Traditional Academy on the North Side. Additionally, 12 students will attend the OCA satellite at the Milliones 6-12 building in the Hill District, while students in grades 3-8 will attend an OCA satellite within King PreK-8 on the North Side, with a maximum of 18 students.

The state-approved special education plan aims to increase the share of students receiving special education services inside general education classrooms to around 62%. This will require training for all teachers, paraprofessionals, and administrators on inclusive practices and school-based behavioral health.

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